Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-03-10

! Mrs. Cleveland Is spending the Lenten
/ season studying French, her social duties
making it necessary that she should DO
able TO converse In that language.
The following is a recapitulation OF the
| debt statement issued on the LIST OF March.
| Interest bearing debt III, l29, .43, 143; debt
on which interest has ceased since maturi'
| ty ST. ,210; debt bearing no interest,
! s5s2, q55 O24. Total debt: Principal, 81, 10S,-
| 74003l; interest, sl0,s93.946; total 81, 7lS;-
| 625977. Total debt less available cash
items, sl,359, Isl COL. Net cash in treasury,
| SO. 14s,0s5. Debt less cash in treasury
March |, 1887, 1881, o32, 0.6. Debt less cash
! in the treasury Feb !, 1887, ~, 49,, 46S, SOS;
decrease of debt during the month $l,436,-
7s2; decrease of debt since June 10 1856,
| Sos lOi351; cash in treasury, available for
reduction of the public debt, $3.50, Az, 976;
| total cash in the treasury as shown by the
| treasurer's general account, Sf45, l1O,2i2.
Gen. Cutcheon has received communi-
cation from Ger. j ohm Robertson, Adjutant'
! General of Michigan. in reference TO the
| formers bill revising the statutes so as to
allow pay TO officers during the war from
the day of taking command actually, in
stead of from the date when commissions
were issued, and Gen. Cutcheon has replied
by suggesting that the AdjutantG General
call the attention OF the volunteers 10 the
fact that applications must be filed before
June 3, as they will be barred after that
date under law.
The evils resulting from the want of
penitentiary under the direct supervision
of the United States for the confinement
of United States prisoners, has been re-
| peatedly brought TO the attention OF con-
| gress, but nothing has ever been accom-
plished to change the present .prac-
tice OF boarding them at differ
ent state institutions. The house
committee on judiciary have given the
| matter some attention but the committee
refuse to recommend that government
| prison shall be built and run by the gov
eminent. The minority report contains
"a statement relative to the Detroit house
OF correction, which we give as an item OF
interest to our readers,
I'm the house OF correction at Detroit
| there were on June 30, 1885, pa United
States prisoners confined. To this institu-
| ton are committed by the authorities OF
| the city of Detroit only offenders against
| and Yiolators of the law, convicted or
| petty offenses and sentenced TO terms not
| exceeding one year. In that institution
| the manufacture of chairs is extensively
carried on, and to such an extent as to
| work great injury to the furniture manu-
facturers OF that city and state. The
manufacturers who have their capital in
vested manufacturing furniture in NIGHT
| gan, as well as the workmen, complain at
| this I'M ust competition. 1t is obvious
that were it not for the long term prison
ers in that institution some Of them under
sentence for life, this industry would not
he, as it Is, practically ruined, outside OF
| the prison. 1t is estimated that one-third
of the prisoners received at the Desroit
house of correction. ouside of Wayne
county, are United States prisoners from
other states and territories. The Detroit
house of correction is n city institution,
and is not on the contract plan. The
United States prisoners are all long
timers, none OF them less than year,
and most of them from five years to life.
Each United States prisoner represents a
days work every working day in the year,
and, in view of their long sentences and
skilled workma nship, they are kept by the
institution without charge to the govern
| ment. while any county of Michigan. in
Guiding Wayne, outside of Detroit, pays a
minimum rate of s per week for board.
The labor of the prison is devoted entirely
TO chair. cradle and bedstead making. So
much detriment has resulted to the indus
tries of that state from the concentration
of United States prisoners at this institu-
tion that the legislature of the state has
taken hold of the sub ect and passed n law
absolutely prohibiting the importation of
prisoners to that institution. We think
the time has come when the government
should adopt measures TO take care of its
own convicts. Wherever United States
prisoners are confined in any numbers in
prisons not directly under control of the
government they work great hardship to
honest enterprise and labor, and are q
profit only to the prison contractors and
authorities.